"It's caused by hot and dry north-easterly winds, which are circling around a large high, and they're pulling in heat from the interior, dragging it into Perth, leading to very hot and dry conditions," Weatherzone meteorologist Melissa MacKellar said.

But while Perth basks under the radiant sun with platters of fresh seafood, people in other parts of the world will be celebrating around log fires amid temperatures below zero.

The capital of Mongolia – Ulan Bator – wins the candy cane for the coldest capital on Christmas Day with a staggering -24 degrees forecast as the maximum, while it could fall a further six degrees that night.